The History of Porsche

Ferdinand Porsche, who had previous engineering experience at Daimler-Benz, started his own firm and designed the Volkswagen Beetle in 1931. Then in 1948, he and his son, Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche Jr, started Porsche with 200 workers. Ferry helped grow the company and played a key role in designing the first Porsche model, the 356. Named for its design project number, the sportscar featured a rear-mounted, souped-up Beetle engine with an output of 40 horsepower. The aerodynamic 356 was well-liked for its agile handling and then-rare levels of comfort and reliability. Interestingly, the first 52 cars were hand-built in a small garage in Gmund, Austria. Porsche soon rolled out its own engines in the mid-1950s. In 1953, the 550 Spyder road/race model was released and put Porsche on a path of dominance in the racing world. In 1954, the Speedster was released; it is still one of the most sought-after Porsches by collectors. In 1963, the rear-engine Porsche 911 was introduced and several models were quickly added to the range, including the beloved Targa with its removable roof panel. Throughout the 1970s, the company rolled out a series of front-engine models and several additional cars in the 1990s — most notably a new rear-engine Porsche 911 and the mid-engine Porsche Boxster. In 2000, Porsche introduced the Carrera GT and in 2003, Porsche introduced its first SUV, the Cayenne, which was later followed by the Panamera in 2009. Various hybrid models were introduced in the 2010s and the company’s first fully electric vehicle, the Taycan, was released in 2019. Today, Porsche remains one of the most recognizable and beloved sportscar makers in the world with a fleet of gas-powered, hybrid, and all-electric vehicles. Vintage Porsche models are also highly prized by collectors and the company is also known for its racing prowess.